Environment & Energy

unhappycamper

(60,364 posts) Sun Mar 30, 2014, 06:55 AM Mar 2014

Exotic Rainforest Bug Could Break Biofuel Bottleneck

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/28/e-coli-biofuel-breakthrough-pairs-native-and-exotic-bacteria/

E. coli biofuel breakthrough (cropped) courtesy of LLNL.

Exotic Rainforest Bug Could Break Biofuel Bottleneck
Tina Casey

Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have discovered how to help E. coli bacteria squirt out advanced biofuels, and the key is held by a pair of genes found in a soil-dwelling bacterium from a rainforest in Puerto Rico. The finding could enable the lab to shoot through a bottleneck that has been stumping researchers, who have been trying to figure out how to make E. coli survive a catch-22 in the biofuel production process.

For those of you keeping score at home the bacterium from Puerto Rico is Enterobacter lignolyticus, and if you’re wondering how this bug came across the lab’s radar out of all the other microbes in the world, that’s a good question. Rainforest soils are known as fertile harbors for microorganisms that can break down lignin (the tough outer walls of plant cells) in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, and researchers poked around in rainforest soils until they found a likely prospect.

~snip~

Since Livermore is a federal lab, you won’t be surprised to know that us taxpayers have footed the bill for this research, through the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

It’s also worth noting that even before the introduction of the new genes, this particular strain of E. coli had been engineered to digest cellulosic biomass from switchgrass by researchers with the Joint Bioenergy Institute (JBEI), which is headed up by the Energy Department’s Berkeley Lab.

4 replies

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Exotic Rainforest Bug Could Break Biofuel Bottleneck (Original Post) unhappycamper Mar 2014 OP

Better the money is spent here… Champion Jack Mar 2014 #1

That isn't an either/or....it's a both. The oil companies will directly benefit from this, loudsue Mar 2014 #2

This is just a SMALL example of why basic, non-directed research is needed. Moostache Mar 2014 #3

Exactly who is expected to reap the benefits of this? daybranch Mar 2014 #4

Champion Jack

(5,378 posts)

1. Better the money is spent here…

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 08:56 AM

Mar 2014

Then giving subsidies to big oil and gas…

loudsue

(14,087 posts)

2. That isn't an either/or....it's a both. The oil companies will directly benefit from this,

Reply to Champion Jack (Reply #1)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 09:58 AM

Mar 2014

don't doubt that for even a minute. Our government, the DOD, they are all run, & the employees are owned, by corporations now.

Doesn't it make anyone else nervous that e.coli bacteria are being encouraged?? Genetically modified? Ok. Maybe that's just me, but sometimes we end up with Frankengenes, and then what? The USA is no longer known for doing the smart thing for the world, even with some very smart people in the mix.

Moostache

(9,895 posts)

3. This is just a SMALL example of why basic, non-directed research is needed.

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 10:01 AM

Mar 2014

The fact that this discovery appears to be part of a concerted effort cannot mask the fact that we should be investing heavily - at least 10 or 20 times what we currently do, if not considerably MORE.

The most fundamental discoveries in science are often those that are stumbled on by providence. The fact that this nation allowed its natural resources to be exploited for the profit of a very few at the expense of everyone else and the lost opportunity cost to the future is one of the many reasons future generations of humanity will look back at us and weep.

We have failed on such an epic scale in our stewardship that its hard to imagine having done worse with purely malicious intent instead of general incompetency.

daybranch

(1,309 posts)

4. Exactly who is expected to reap the benefits of this?

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 10:06 AM

Mar 2014

it usually already wealthy corporations who buy the patent. Seems to me that the research done by DOE is primarily for creating new products to sell and therefore enriching large corporations who simply buy the patent or access to it for very little money. There are numerous things that our government coulld work on to help the citizenry. Watching DOE for many years starting with their total disregard of passive solar decades ago, I am agitated to continue to watch them with their eyes on these grand schemes for a new petroleum , as if that would solve our real problem wqhich is that carbon is being released in larger and larger amounts each year . Maybe this would be cleaner as a fuel, but obviously not cleaner than wind power, solar photovoltaics, or wave power. We should dispense with striving for new fuels to pollute and spend more time on reducing the amount of fuel used.
We could do more by loans to consumers to purchase more efficient furnaces than this will achieve. Why is it the government can give us a tax break but cannot finance those with good credit to buy planet friendly cars, heatpumps, refrigerators etc?? They can do it overseas why not here?

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